2nd sick chicken...... Anybody have an idea....quickly?

[rosco]

Quote:
you've got a sick chicken. could be poisoning too. loss of balance is an important symptom that will make diagnosis easier. i hate that i keep posting this link, but this is a list that will make diagnosis somewhat easy: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

does the chicken drink a lot of water?


ruffled feathers
decreased feed consumption
lethargic
breathing is fine??
loss of balance
watery diarhea
.....

 

[TeamChaos]

I'm so sorry I missed your question! I came back to check for an update and happened to catch it on re-reading!

Molasses Flush- From the Therapy chapter in Gail Damerow's Chicken Health Handbook
For chickens suffering from an intestinal disease or food poisoning, hastens recovery by flushing the system with a laxative that absorbs toxins and removes them from the body.
Epsom salts make the best flush, but chickens don't like the taste so it has to be done hands on. Molasses is good for a flock flush or if handling the bird would cause undue stress.
Epsom salt flush- 1 teaspoon epson salts in 1/2cup water, poured or squirted down bird's throat twice daily for 2 or 3 days or until the bird recovers.
Molasses flush- 1 pint molasses per 5 gallons water, given for no longer than 8 hours.

Even though I only had one sick bird, I wasn't sure what I was dealing with so I didn't want to go with something "too aggressive"- I don't know that would have been the epsom salt but I'm just letting you know why I chose molasses. I still used a syringe to administer it.

Best of luck to you and yours!

As for my current swollen face girl, she's still on the back porch- looking puffy, feeling grumpy but eating and drinking well, complaining about being alone.

 

[StormyRidgeChixLady]

Rosco I didnt see a link on your post but here are the answers to your questions


does the chicken drink a lot of water? No
ruffled feathers? Yes
decreased feed consumption? no
lethargic? Yes
breathing is fine?? yes
loss of balance? yes
watery diarhea? yes


Thank you for the info Teamchaos, glad your chicky is hangin in there!

 

[rosco]

use the tables at the end of this link. make sure you use the appropriate medicine. many illnesses require certain antibiotics or sulfa drugs. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044.

i'll look too with the info you provided.

 

[StormyRidgeChixLady]

Ok well, I used the chart and its between about 6 diseases......

And their is either no cure for them or they are treated with sulfa. Mareks fit alot of the symptoms but it says there is no cure. Sp how are yall treating you birds for Mareks? I think I'll research coccidia too..... it wasnt on the list that I saw. She is still hanging in there. Pooping alot!!!! Im gonna have to start a medication of some sort today tho, its day 2 of symptoms.

 

[StormyRidgeChixLady]

I looked up cocci on the Miller hatcheries site and it said to treat it with sulfa. But I had read on this site to treat it with corrid. It seems like sulfa would be the best blanket med to cover whatever this may be.

 

[rosco]

yeah, using the charts is hard. the symptoms of ruffled feathers, decreased food consumption, but no problems breathing kinda point to a digestive disorder. cocci is good idea. the "poop page" would help in this case

 

[IroquoisEgg]

I have never used the sulfa drugs because I have read on BYC that it is very hard on the bird's system. Corid is much easier on them and in my experience improvement has happened within 24 hours, and if no improvement at all then you can move on to the next med or diagnosis having ruled out Cocci. None of my birds has exhibited Bloody stools, so your may not either, in fact, blood is a sign that the Cocci is in the Severe stages.

 

[StormyRidgeChixLady]

She is worse today in the aspect that she is not walking at all. Her poop is still watery, no blood fortunately, but she is eating and drinking very well. The water had the vitamin/electrolyte supplement plus ACV. Hoping this has boost her immune system. Started her on sulmet, she is drinking it, guess we will see how it goes. I live 20mi from town and got the sulmet. Too late to start the Corid, hopefully it wont be too hard on her then, she seems to be hangin in there mentally. Thank you everyone.

 

[sheila3935]

They can have stess poo too. if she is feeling bad it may stress her and that could be causing the watery poo. I have also read here about using vitamins for as possible nuerological problem. Hope she is better soon. I would think it a good sign she is eating/drinking.